Compiled by Fr. Demetrios
Who is Commemorated on 26 June.
Translated from the Greek by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Boston

With David Of Old Art Thou,
now united, O new David;
For thou didst kill the
carnal passions like Goliath
On the twenty-sixth,
David passed through the gates of life.
St. David of Thessalonica
Reposed in the Lord C. 540

KONTAKION, TONE I

An ever-blossoming garden, bearing fruits of virtues,
thou didst appear on a garden tree like a sweet-singing bird; but all the
more didst thou take into thy heart paradise, the Lord's tree of life,
and having cultivated it, O divinely-wise one, by it thou dost nourish
us with grace: ever pray for us, O David all-blessed.

DAVID, OUR FATHER of great renown, the earthly angel and heavenly
man, was born and reared in the illustrious and great city of Thessalonica.
Renouncing the world and worldly things, he abandoned friends and relatives,
temporal honor and glory, money, possessions, and every other passing joy
and even his own life, according to the evangelical exhortation. Following
the Master, he took up the Cross from his youth; for his heart was deeply
pierced with divine love.

He was tonsured and remained in the Monastery of the Holy Martyrs
Theodore and Mercurius, which was known as Koukouliaton, and there he struggled
in sacred silence in the a manner surpassing the limits of human nature.
He observed every virtue most diligently; above all, he kept the virtues
of temperance and humility, knowing well that satiety of the stomach drives
away spiritual vigilance and chastity, and that vainglory totally obliterates
every virtue. Because of this, like a wise man, he was diligent to acquire
humility.

Reading the Sacred Scriptures by day and by night, the righteous
one marvelled at the virtues of the Saints, both those who were before
the Law and those who were after the Law. He observed how God glorified
them because they obeyed His commandments and were pleasing to Him as was
meet. He made Abel wondrous by his sacrifices, Abraham by his faith, Joseph
by his chastity, Job by his patience, He showed from Moses as Lawgiver,
and preserved Daniel and the Three Youths unharmed from the fire and lions.
Reflection upon the examples of these men, and marvellous David was diligent
to emulate them with his whole heart and strength, so that, together with
them, he might become co-heir of the Heavenly Kingdom.

While reading the lives of the righteous ones who struggled after
the saving Incarnation of the Saviour and who accomplished such marvellous
struggles, he marvelled-especially at the life of Simeon of the Wondrous
Mountain, and of the other Simeon, and of Daniel and Patapius the Stylites,
who spent their lives living in the open, without shelter, tormented by
the winds, rains, and snows. As he read the lives of these men, he wept
and came to such compunction that he decided to undergo a similar life
of affliction for as long as he, the ever-memorable one, could, so that
he might find rest with the Saints after death.

One day, therefore, he became so fervent with zeal and his heart
so filled with compunction, that he climbed up an almond tree that was
by the left side of the church. He remained there upon a branch of the
tree where he made a small bench as well as he could, and there he struggled
in ascetic labors with wondrous patience, tormented by the winds, the rains
and the snows, burned by the searing heat of the sun in summer, and suffering
many other afflictions. O the fortitude of this much-suffering martyr,
that the ever-memorable one should undergo such hardship! The other stylites
had some security, for their pillars were constructed and stood fast, and
what is more, when they slept or had some other need, the pillars were
immobile. But this abamantine man swayed always in the branches of the
tree, and never had any repose, but was tormented by the rains and the
winds and suffered greatly from the snows.

In enduring all these things, the stout-hearted one did not let up
in his discipline, neither did he become faint-hearted in any way, neither
was he overcome by tedium, nor did his angelic face become transfored or
changed, but remained as comely as a rose. Indeed, in this thrice-blessed
one was there fulfilled that prophetic saying: The righteous man shall
blossom like a palm tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied.
For in his deeds he too blossomed forth like a palm tree, and rendered
unto God an acceptable fruit sweeter and more beneficial than the almond
or the date palm. For the tree gives forth corruptible blossoms and fruit
for man's delight and enjoyment; but the righteous one gladdened our good
God with the fruits of divine vision and a holy life, and he praised and
glorified Him unceasingly.

The righteous one had some disciples where exceedingly pious and
Christ-loving, and they labored and toiled together with him in the monastic
discipline. Many times they begged and entreated him to come down from
the tree so that they could build him a cell (a place the monastics call
a room) he like, in some quiet place, so that he could guide them and tend
them as his sheep and bring them into the pastures of salvation. But he
answered saying, "My brethren and children, I am a sinner and an
unworthy man; but Christ the Master, the Good Shepherd Who laid down His
lfie for His sheep, will protect you from the plots of the devil, and as
He is supremely good, He will account you worthy of His Eternal Kingdom.
But as for me, as the Lord my God Jesus Christ, the Son of God liveth.
I will not come down from this tree until three years are accomplished,
and even then I will come down only by His comman; for if it is not His
will, I will never come down from here." When they say that
his mind could not be changed, they did not trouble him any longer in this
matter.

WHEN THE TRHEE YEARS had passed, a holy angel appeared unto him saying,
"David, the Lord has heard your supplication and grants unto you
this favor for which you have asked many times, that is, that you be humble-minded
and modest, and that you fear Him and worship Him with proper reverence.
Come down, therefore, from the tree and live in sacred silence in your
cell, blessing God until you accomplish one other act of love; then shall
you find comfort of soul and rest from bodily travail." During
the whole time that the Angel spoke with him, the righreous one listened
with fear and trembling. When he that appeared disappeared, the righteous
one gave thanks unto God, saying, "Blessed is God who has had mercy
on me."

Then calling together his disciples, he revealed the vision and told
them to prepare the cell, as the Master had commanded. Straightway they
did as they were ordered and they informed the most holy Metropolitan Dorotheus
also. The Metroplolitan rejoiced to hear these tidings and took the more
pious clerics with him. Going up to the righteous one, he kissed him and
they brought him down from the tree with great reverance. After the Divine
Liturgy, they placed him in his cell and celebrated this great feast. Thus
they returned rejoicing and the righteous one remained in his cell struggling
in sacred silence. Even as before, he perpetually and ceaselessly blessed
the Lord Who had granted him such grace, that he put demons to flight,
gave sight to the blind and healed every incurable disease by calling upon
the name of Christ. Out of many signs which he did we mention ly two or
three as proof of the others; for the lion is known from his claws and
the cloth from its hem.

A certain youth had a demon, and one day he came to the cell of the
righteous one. Standing, therefore, outside the door, he cried out saying
Release me, O David, thou servant of the eternal God, for fire comes
froth from our cell and burns me." Then the righteous one stretched
forth his hand from a small window and held the youth and said, "Our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, commands you to go forth
from His creature, O unclean spirit!" Saying this, he sealed the
youth with the sign of the Precious Cross and immdediately the demon went
form from the youth and he became well. On seeing such a marvel, all who
were present glorified God Who glorifies those who glorify Him with God-pleasing
works.

Whoever had a any illness would come unto him, and no sooner would
the Saint lay his right hand upon the sick man when straightway malady
would depart and be dispersed, even as darkness is dispersed and by the
light. Having performed innumerable miracels, he was glorified by men and
was revered by all.

AFTER MANY YEARS, Dorotheus, the Metropolitan of Thessalonica, reposed,
and one other Aristides by name - a man equally virtuous - took his place.
At that time, great loss and much confusion was caused by the barbarians
in the whole of Thessaly. Hence, the eparch of Illyricum wrote to the Metropolitan,
asking him to intercede with the Emperor, or to send him to elect an eparch
for Thessalonica, because of the confusion caused by the barbarians; for
at the time, there was no eparch in Thessalonica, but only a locum tenens
who was under the eparch of Sirmium. When the most holy Aristides, the
Metropolitan of Thessalonica, had read the letter of the eparch in the
presence of the clergy and the nobility of the city, he told them to choose
a capable and erudite man to send to the Emperor for this matter.

When all, therefore, had gathered in the church, they cried out with
one accord that the righteous David should be sent, for the most pious
Emperor would reverence him as a virtuous and holy man, and thus would
carry out their request. This was done by the dispensation of Divine Providence,
that the prophecy of the angel might be fulfilled; for the angel told the
righteous one to come down from the tree that he might perform one other
act of love also, and then he would depart for the Lord.

The bishop, then, took the most pious clergy and the people and went
to the righteous one and told him of the matter and entreated him to go
to the Emperor with the aforementioned request. At first, the righteous
one excused himself, saying that he could not go because of old age. Afterwards,
seeing that all constrained him to go, he agreed so that he might not appear
disobedient to the bishop and to the Christ-loving people who were urging
him.

The righreous one then remembered the prophecy of the angel, and
he said these words to the Metropolitan: "May the Lord's will be
done, holy master. Yet, be it known unto you that, through your prayers
and with God as my helper, the Emperor will grant me whatever I request
of him; but as for David, you will not see him alive again to speak with
him. For on my return to you from the palace, when I am yet one-hundred
and twenty-six stadia from my poor cell, I shall depart for my Master."

Taking that the righteous one was saying this as an excuse, so that
they would not force him to go, the Metropolitan admonished him saying:
"Then imitate our Shepherd and Master Who gave Himself over unto
death as a man and died for us, give your life for your people that you
may receive thanksgiving from men and glory and boundless praise from Christ
the Master, as an emulator of His Passion."

Then the thrice-blessed one went forth from his cell and all worshipped
him; for his countenance was a marvellous sight; the locks of his hair
fell down to his belt and his beard down to his feet; his venerable face
was handsome and comely, just like Abraham's and everyone who saw him marvelled.
He took with him two of his disciples, Theodore and Demetrios; these men
were pious and virtuous, and were like David, not only in the comeliness
of the soul, but also in that of the body.

When they reached Byzantium, the report of the righteous one was
heard throughout the whole city. At that time, the Emperor was the pious
Justinian. Since the Emperor was absent when the Saint arrived, the Empress
Theodora sent chamberlains and escorts to welcome him and she received
him with much honor and reverence. On beholding his radiant and angelic
face and his venerable white beard, she marvelled and worshipped him with
much humility, and asked for his prayers and his blessing. The Saint, therefore,
prayed for the Emperor, the imperial city and every city. The pious Empress
received him with such gladness and with such friendly hospitality that
I am not able to describe fully the reverence which the ever-memorable
one showed him; for she thought that she had received an angel of the Lord
and not a man. When the Emperor returned, the august Empress told him of
the righteous one, saying, "The supremely-good God has taken compassion
on us, Master, and has sent His angel unto your majesty on this day from
the city of Thessalonica; and in truth, it seemed to me that I saw Abraham."

On the following day, when the whole Senate had gathered, the Emperor
gave orders for the righteous one to be brought in. When the Saint entered,
he placed live coal and incense in his hands and, together with his disciples,
he censed the Emperor and the whole Senate without his hands being burned
at all from the fire, even though he took more than an hour censing, until
he had censed all the people. All were astonished as they beheld this wonder.
Rising from his throne, the Emperor received him gladly and with much reverence,
and he, in turn, received the gifts of the Metropolitan of Thessalonica
from the hands of the Saint. The pious and Christ-loving Emperor listened
to the Saint's request and voted that the seat of the eparch be changed
from Sirmium to Thessalonica. Not only did he fulfill the written requests
of the Thessalonians, but with great willingness, he carried out the righteous
one's other requests as well, and, in accordance with the custom, signed
them in vermillion. With his own hand, he gave them to the righteous one
and told him, "Pray for me, venerable Father." Afterwards,
he dismissed him and sent him on his way with a great escort, even as it
was meet.

AS SOON as the righteous one had fulfilled his mission, he set sail
to Thessalonica. But even as he had prophesied, he did not reach the city.
When they were passing near a Lighthouse he said these words to his disciples:
"My children, the time of my end has come. See that you bury my
remains in the Monastery where I dwelt. Take care for your souls, that
your find eternal rest." Saying these and other edifying words,
they arrived at the promontory which is called Emvolos, from where his
monastery could be seen. He looked towards it and prayed, and after he
had kissed his disciples, the thrice-blessed one surrendered his soul to
God.

When the righteous one reposed a strong wind was blowing; and though
they had been sailing most swiftly, at that very moment, the boat stopped
for a long time in spite of the wind (O the wonder!) and did not move at
all. Futhermore, there came forth a wonderous fragrance as of indiscribable
incense, and voices were heard in the air melodiously chanting praises
to the Lord. After a long time the voices stopped. Immediately the boat
began to sail again, but it did not go to the harbor as usual; but rather
it sped to the west side of the city, at the place where the impious had
cast the holy relics of St. Theodoulus and St. Agathopodus.

When they people heard of the righteous one's repose and arrival,
the whole city came forth with the Metropolitan. Carrying his holy relics
with much reverence, they came to the Monastery, and they made him a coffin
of wood in which they placed him and buried him with honor. Afterwards,
in accordance with the imperial decree, they changed the seat of the eparch
from Sirmium to Thessalonica. As for the righteous one, his memory was
celebrated by all the people each year in the afrormentioned Monastery.

After 150 years had passed, the abbot of the Monastery was a certain
virtuous man, Demetrios by name. He had much reverence for the righreous
one. Moved by a desire to take a portion of the Saint's holy relics in
order to have them for santification, he took men and had them begin digging
at the grave. Immediately the slab broke into four pieces. Seeing that
the Saint did not wish them to go on, the abbot abandoned his plan. A disciple
of this abbot, a man named Sergius who likewise became abbot, and through
his virtues, later Metropolitan of Thessalonica, revered the Saint greatly.
Many times he besought him in pryaer to allow him to take a small portion
of his Holy Relics. When he was informed by God that the Saint agreet to
it, he opened the tomb and there came forth a wondrous fragrance. Seeing
that the Saints's relics were entire and unharmed he did not dare to take
any part except for a few strands of hair from his head and beard. These
were kept with care and are kissed on the Saint's feast by the Christ-loving
peoples. The feast is celebrated annually on the 26th of June with much
joy, in praise of the righteous one, and to the glory of Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. Amen.